Unicorn Horn

Dare we say, the most relaxing scent you’ll ever smell!

The plant genus Lavandula includes about 47 species of flowering plants. Most famous for ornaments and fragrant extracts is the Lavandula angustifolia species, from which Lush’s lavender oil and absolute are obtained. It is a shrub-like perennial that grows long, slender stems topped with a cluster of purple flowers - small yet very fragrant.

Lavender’s scent is floral, strong but somehow delicate, comforting and elegant.

Lavender’s essential oils are naturally antimicrobial, balancing and soothing, a great combination to calm skin conditions such as acne.

The flowers are filled with linalool, a substance known for its sedative effects on the nervous system.

The dried little flowers can make a gentle natural exfoliant when rubbed on the skin.

René-Maurice Gattefossé, a French chemist from the early 20th century, accidentally discovered lavender oil's soothing and healing properties. Legend has it that he severely burned his hands during tests in his laboratory and immediately immersed them in lavender oil (which was nearest to him at the time). His hands healed so well that he became passionate about the properties of essential oils, and is now recognised as the ‘father of modern aromatherapy’.

Lush sources lavender oils from a couple of suppliers. One is based in the warm and sunny region Provence region of France, while the other is an organic-certified Bulgarian distiller. 

We also purchase dried strands and flowers, which may have different origins depending on the manufacturing site where your Lush product was made.

Dare with us! Here’s a selection of Lush products with lavender that should help you unwind before bedtime.

Delicately floral and somewhat citrusy, the scent of neroli is distinctively cheering.

Neroli oil comes from the bitter orange tree (Citrus aurantium amara), which is an evergreen member of the Rutaceae plant family. Many parts of the tree are used for perfuming and culinary purposes. The fruits flavour food and drinks, and the flowers are distilled to produce neroli oil and orange flower absolute. Petitgrain oil is also obtained from the leaves and twigs of this same tree.

Neroli is naturally uplifting and widely used in aromatherapy for its stress-relieving effects. This oil is a true luxury, as the distillation process requires a lot of flowers to produce just a little. 

Marie-Anne de La Trémoille (1642 - 1722) named the bitter orange flower oil ‘neroli’ after the city Nerola in Italy of which she was the princess. She loved to wear the oil as a perfume and created a trend in European royal courts - she would probably be called an influencer nowadays.

Lush sources a few different neroli oils from several different suppliers. To find out more, browse your Lush product’s list of ingredients and click on the ones you are interested in. This should take you to a page full of details!

Ylang-ylang’s flowers diffuse a heady, sweet and floral scent that is often recommended to calm the mind. It is featured in a few of our most popular fragrances, such as Sex Bomb, Sleepy and Magik.

The cananga tree, also called ylang-ylang or ilang-ilang, is a tropical plant native to Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. It can grow very tall in the wild, averaging 12 meters (40 feet). In British English, ylang-ylang is pronounced ee-lang ee-lang. In Tagalog, an old language of the Philippines, it means ‘flower of the flowers’. 

The tree’s branches are quite flexible and are often positioned vertically and pruned by farmers to ease harvest. Flowers bloom nearly all year round, hanging from stalks. Their drooping, long and narrow petals are thick and wavy - and wonderfully fragrant! They start off green but reach their optimal scent when turning yellow.

The scent of ylang-ylang flowers is known to help you relax, slow down and fall asleep more easily. It is said to reduce anxiety while increasing a sense of well-being.

The sensual flowers’ scent is also considered an aphrodisiac.

The yellow petals can be distilled into an essential oil or extracted into an absolute. These are highly valued in perfumery but also in cosmetics, for their numerous benefits to the skin, scalp and hair.

Not just a scent, it is also a flavour! Ylang-ylang works really well in mouth products.

Learn more about the benefits of ylang-ylang oil on this dedicated page.

Lush uses ylang-ylang essential oil in various products, ranging from perfumes to bath bombs and hair conditioners. The essential oil is steam-distilled from the petals, and the process can last up to 20 hours! We also use a fair amount of ylang-ylang absolute, which is extracted from the petals as well, but using solvents.

We purchase the essential oil and the absolute from the Comoros Islands, but we also produce our own oil in Ghana. Click on the links below to learn more about these different sources:

Ylang Ylang Oil

Ghanaian Ylang Ylang Oil

Ylang Ylang absolute

Are sweet, sensual and tropical scents your thing? Have a go at this collection of floral-scented products.

All of our products are made by hand, fresh, every day, across 6 manufacturing sites all over the world. We believe in happy people making happy soap, putting our faces on our products and making our mums proud.

Use all in one go for a dramatic bubble bath, or snap a piece off and crumble for 2-3 uses.

It's better naked. 66% of products sold each year are packaging-free.